Muir's Arinze Anakwenze (10) scrambles for the loose ball with Pasadena's Rayjon Moore (24) in the first half of a prep basketball game at Muir High School in Pasadena, Calif., on Thursday, Feb.13, 2014. Pasadena won 66-53. (Keith Birmingham Pasadena Star-News)

PASADENA — Rayjon Moore made sure the Pasadena High School boys basketball team did not miss a beat Thursday night.

With season-long leading scorer Ajon Efferson throwing shots off the rim or seeing the shots swatted by Muir players, Moore connected on all seven of his first-half field-goal attempts and when Efferson finally found his groove, the pair carried the Bulldogs to a 66-53 victory over the host Mustangs in the regular season final for both teams.

“Anytime my teammates gave me the ball I just feed off it,” the senior said. “Whatever the defenses gave me, I just took it. You have to step up.”

Moore had 22 of his season-high 30 points in the first half, hitting two 3-point shots. His lone misses were at the foul line, hitting 6 of 8 free throws in the half.

“Rayjon has that potential,” Pasadena coach Tony Brooks said. “I’m so excited for that kid. He’s improved and does things that you ask him to do. This is the results of that.”

The Bulldogs clinched their 10th consecutive Pacific League title, but will share the honors with Crescenta Valley, which defeated Arcadia, 54-47 on Thursday. Both finished 12-2 in league play.

Efferson did not have a point in the first half, missing 13 consecutive shots into early in the second half.

“I’ve been in a slump for about three games now,” he said. “My hat is off to my teammates. They have been lifting me up.”

The senior got the big basket when the Bulldogs (17-9) needed it the most. Tied at 35, he finally found himself wide open, Muir (11-13, 8-6) had a player with a hand in his face on every previous shot. Efferson hit the 21-footer 2:25 into the second half for his first basket of the game to give Pasadena a 38-35 lead. The Bulldogs promptly stole the ball and Nick Brown scored on a layup for a 40-35 lead. The Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the way.

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“It was big,” Brooks said of the five-point run. “(Ajon) persevered. He kept at it.”

The Mustangs worked the ball inside in the first half to 6-foot-6 Arinze Anakwenze and built a 31-25 lead in the second quarter.

Muir led, 33-30, at the half. The Mustangs seemed to stop going inside after the break.

“Our advantage was a post player and we stopped doing that,” Muir coach Simaine Stewart said. “We did not play smart basketball. We became selfish.”

It was a crazy second half, even by Pasadena-Muir standards. Students were taunting opponent’s cheerleaders; the game officials had to wave the students away from the cheerleaders and special education student Moises Medina hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in the third quarter, which brought the players and fans running onto the floor. It got weirder when Anakwenze fouled out in the fourth quarter, but then re-entered the game and played for another minute, missing a shot attempt.

Medina’s 3-pointer had closed the gap to 44-42. Pasadena went on a 10-3 run to start the fourth quarter. Efferson had three baskets and Moore a turnover hoop. Efferson finished with 17 points, connecting on 6 of his final 9 shot attempts.

“They stayed within their game,” Stewart said. “They stayed poised. (Efferson) was having a tough night and we were doing a good job, but he still stayed within their system and my guys didn’t.”

“We settled down and started executing and we made the plays down the stretch,” Efferson said.

Dejon Williams led the Mustangs with 15 points.

Girls basketball

Muir 63, Pasadena 57 >> The host Mustangs led the entire way, but when Pasadena closed to within 51-48 in the third quarter, Muir went on a run to defeat the Bulldogs.

Tierra Adams led the charge from inside, scoring 13 of her team-high 19 points in the second half. Chy-annea Hodges sprained her ankle on scoring a layup in the third quarter. She returned to the game and had 10 points.